do it yourself
Guide to Your First Homebrew Story and Photos by Lauren Duffy Lastowka
What you need You can’t brew beer just with what’s sitting around in your kitchen. There are a few tools you’ll need to get started. Let me forewarn you that homebrewing isn’t the cheapest hobby—it can take about a $100 investment for your basic tools—although if you’re handy you can make, barter or borrow much of the equipment you’ll need. In fact, if you’ve never brewed before, I’d recommend borrowing a friend’s equipment for your first time, or even finding a seasoned homebrewer who’s happy to invite you over on a brew day.
Equipment The easiest way to get your basic equipment is to buy a starter kit, sold at many homebrew stores. Here’s what comes in most kits, and what you’ll need if you build or borrow equipment: • Two six-gallon food-grade buckets, glass carboys or plastic fermenters, with lids (for fermenting) • One airlock (for keeping your fermenter sanitary) • One large bucket or pot (for sanitizing; another six-gallon food-grade bucket works perfectly)
edible Santa Fe · Spring 2012
• One four- to six-gallon pot (for boiling the wort) • A long-handled spoon, long enough to reach the bottom of your pot • A thermometer that spans 80–200 degrees Fahrenheit • A hydrometer (a device that measures specific gravity, recommended) • A copper wort chiller (recommended)
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• Sanitizing solution (I like an iodine solution called Iodophor, but you can also use bleach) • Cleaning solution (I like PBW, a biodegradable cleaning powder designed for brewers, but dish soap will work) • 48 12-ounce bottles, cleaned and dried • 48 bottle caps • A bottle capper
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